Factory front mounded spare tire carrier [D4TZ-1440-A] - NOS

[1986F150Six]

Not Bullnose, but nice and interesting option. I have never seen one. Has FORD instructions, too!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-1973-77-FORD-F-100-250-350-FRONT-MOUNTED-SPARE-TIRE-CARRIER-CAMPER-RV-NR/114154108768?hash=item1a941d7760:g:5D0AAOSwj-5eRZkT

[Gary Lewis]

Those were pretty standard add-ons back in the 70's.  I toyed with adding one to our '72 F250 but don't think I did.  The issue was that with a 9 1/2' camper and the necessary relocation of the bumper back 1 1/2' the spare tire was so far forward that you'd have a really hard time getting to it if you needed to do so.

But the tire in front of the radiator looked like a good way to interrupt the air flow to the radiator, so I debated.  I think in the end I rolled the dice and hoped I'd not need the spare, and I think I won as I don't remember using it.

However, I do remember the little Coleman 12v compressor pumping its guts out trying to inflate the wide tires I'd replaced the ones on the split rims in the rear with.  We played several hands of canasta while it worked away.  Had the spare been on the front it would have been far faster to change it.  

[grumpin]

Those are cool! Had one on my 1974 when I bought it. I had a truck camper and that grunting 390 never got hot. I worried about it too.

The gentleman I bought it from had a truck camper on it. He set that truck up really nice.

Little pricey or I would get it for good measure!

[salans7]

I remember seeing those still on trucks when I was a kid in the 90s, but most of those trucks or at least the tire carriers are long gone and I rarely see them now.